Psalm 82:6-7 I have said, You are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.… If the God of heaven have appointed you to be gods on earth, then it may exhort you to walk as gods, and to work as gods amongst men. 1. Walk as gods among men; your calling is high, and therefore your carriage should be holy. The greater your privileges are, the more gracious your practices should be. Remember whose livery you wear, whose image you bear, whose person you represent, whose place you stand in, and walk worthy of that calling whereunto you are called (Ephesians 4:1). Whether, saith one, a gangrene begin at the head or the heel, it will kill; but a gangrene in the head will kill sooner than one in the heel. Even so will the sins or great ones overthrow a State sooner than the sins of small ones; therefore the advice of Sigismund the emperor, when a motion was made for reformation, was, Let us begin at the minorities, saith one. No: rather, saith he, let us begin at the majorities; for if the great ones be good, the meaner cannot easily be evil. 2. Work as gods. (1) Execute justice impartially. It is a principle in moral policy, that an ill executor of the laws is worse in a State than a great breaker of them; and the Egyptian kings presented the oath to their judges, not to swerve from their consciences, though they received a command from themselves to the contrary. A magistrate should be a heart without affection, an eye without lust, a mind without passion, or otherwise his hand wilt do unrighteous actions. The Grecians placed Justice betwixt Leo and Libra, thereby signifying that there ought to be both magnanimity in executing and indifferency in determining. (2) As you should work like gods amongst men in executing justice impartially, so likewise in showing mercy: God is the:Father of mercies (1 Corinthians 1:8); rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4); He hath multitudes of tender mercies (Psalm 51:1); He is abundant in mercy (1 Peter 1:3); His mercy is free (Romans 9:15); great (Psalm 57:10); matchless (Jeremiah 3:1); sure (Isaiah 55:1). (3) Work as God's in promoting piety to your power. Oh, consider, is it not reasonable as well as religious that you who rule by God should rule for God? that that power which you have received from Him should be improved mostly for Him? (G. Swinnock, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.WEB: I said, "You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High. |
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